Books Reviews

Death Watch – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Jun 9, 2010, 13:19 GMT

“Ever since the days of Agatha Christie, the great divide in the British detective story has been between plot and character…The novels of Jim Kelly are. . . a find.” —The New York Times Book Review Rookie detective Peter Shaw teams up with his father’s tough expartner to investigate both a gruesome series of present-day murders and some unfinished business from the past. ...more

I first encountered Jim Kelly's work via his Ely based journalist detective Philip Dryden and was really impressed.  The stories were well crafted, full of invention and imagination yet with that touch of reality that made it seem as though they could really happen. 

Then he swopped to another detective with a more traditional police procedural style.  The first of these novels was Death Wore White, and while it was OK reading, it lacked the spark that had enlivened his Dryden stories.  Thankfully, this latest offering - Death Watch - shows Jim Kelly back on form. 

It is a really gripping tale linking past and present.  In September 1992, fifteen year old Norma Jean Judd disappears, never to be seen again.  In September 2010, her twin brother Bryan Judd is found dead in a hospital incinerator - and it is not accidental death.  The investigations of DI Shaw and his side kick DS Valentine quickly reveal that Judd was no upright citizen, as he was linked to all kinds of criminal activity. 

Was his death linked to his sister's disappearance?  What are the links with the floating bodies that are appearing in the harbour?  Why was the electrical power cut so significant?  Complex and intriguing, the novel delves deep into a world of corruption, body part scandals and organ donations. 

Underlying too is an old mystery connecting prominent lawyers with an unsolved case that wrecked the career of DI Shaw’s father as well as that of DS Valentine. I look forward eagerly to Kelly's next offering - it should be good.